Statistically, Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the two best players in the world right now, and quite possibly the greatest to ever to play the game. With 394 goals in 581 appearances for club teams, Ronaldo, also known as CR7, has attained more accolades than I can possibly list, most notably winning the English Premier League with Manchester United three times, La Liga once with Real Madrid, as well as bringing home the UEFA Champions League trophy twice.
The Portuguese winger has always been a world-class talent, but his dominance has been especially evident these past few years. After being bought in 2009 as the most expensive player in the history of soccer (a roughly $132 million transfer fee with a contract buyout of over $1 billion), Ronaldo has scored 271 goals in 258 appearances. In just 13 appearances for Real so far this season, Ronaldo has netted a staggering 20 goals, including three hat tricks. With two Ballon d’Ors under his belt, the world clearly appreciates Ronaldo’s talents.
Ronaldo’s individual success is especially impressive given that he has to share the spotlight with a whole host of superstar teammates at Real. The likes of winger Gareth Bale, striker Karim Benzema, midfielders James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos, and Luka Modric, and arguably the world’s best defender in Sergio Ramos are all playmakers in their own right, but Real Madrid lives off of Ronaldo’s dominance, and his skills are simply a class above the rest.
Despite all of his success at the club level, Ronaldo has struggled a bit for Portugal in World Cups.
Portugal came into the 2014 World Cup having barely qualified for the tournament, as the Seleção needed a win in the final game against Sweden to clinch its spot.
In a group where it was favored to advance along with Germany, Portugal embarrassed themselves by not even advancing past the group stage, with a third-place finish. Its collapse featured a crushing 4-0 defeat to eventual champion Germany, a draw against the United States and a close win against a desperate Ghana squad. Ronaldo scored his only goal of the tournament in the 2-1 win over the Black Stars.
Its performance at the 2010 World Cup also left much to be desired. Ronaldo only scored one of Portugal’s seven total goals in the competition, all of which came in a 7-0 group stage win over minnows North Korea. Losing to eventual champion Spain in the second round, Portugal put up no fight after David Villa’s goal in the 63rd minute.
Ronaldo also stayed quiet as a 21-year-old in the 2006 World Cup, scoring just once as Portugal attained fourth place, its highest finish since Ronaldo joined the national team in 2003.
In all that makes just three World Cup goals in 13 overall matches for the world’s best player. Unlike Messi, who carried Argentina within seconds of a World Cup victory in 2014, Ronaldo has not taken his country deep into the World Cup — though admittedly Messi has a much better supporting cast.
The greatest players of all time are not just legendary because of their statistical dominance or raw talent, but also because of the legacy and pride they bring to their country.
Ronaldo, a talent that we may never see again, has disappointed his country on the world’s greatest stage, diminishing his legacy.
Forget the likes of Pele, Gerd Müller, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. How is Ronaldo supposed to compete with the modern international legacies of Dutchman Arjen Robben, Spaniard David Villa, German Miroslav Klose and even Brazil’s young captain, Neymar?
The latter list of names are at a lower level when it comes to club team performance and overall talent, but the point is that they all shone during the World Cup and are responsible for their countries’ incredible success, something that Ronaldo has been unable to deliver for Portugal.
It is clear that Ronaldo is one of the most talented and special players to ever play the game, that his club performances for Man U and Real are unprecedented and that he will retire with a plethora of trophies and almost every scoring record imaginable. But it is also clear that unless Ronaldo can elevate the play of his countrymen during the 2018 World Cup, it will be impossible to call Ronaldo a true legend. CR7 will be 33 when the summer tournament begins in Russia, and it may well be his last chance to achieve glory for his country and cement his legacy as the best who ever played.
Paolo Santamaria is a freshman in the College. SAXA SYNERGY appears every other Friday.
